District NEWS

March 18, 2014

District set to break ground on renovation project, summer
2014

BH-BL district leaders and the Board of Education are excited
to announce that the first phase of the voter-approved Building
Our 2nd Century Renovations Referendum project is slated to
begin this summer, 2014.

For the past several months, district leaders and the
Renovations Committee have been working closely with our
architects and construction management firm to draft detailed
specifications of the 33 separate projects included in the 2013
referendum. The $34.2 million project, overwhelming approved by
voters in October 2013, has been submitted to the State
Education Department for approval.

Assistant Superintendent for School Support Services Chris
Abdoo explains that it is anticipated to take anywhere from 12
to 22 weeks to get approval from SED on a project. If all
procedures continue as expected, construction will begin during
the summer of 2014.

“Any school district in New York State that is undergoing a
renovations or construction project is required by law to submit
plans to SED for its approval,” says Abdoo. “Given the lengthy
approval turnaround time, we carefully reviewed our list of
projects and strategically mapped out a timeline aimed at
keeping our renovations project in constant motion.”

Addressing district priorities

The Renovations Committee also wanted to ensure that some of
the earliest work to be done included projects that address one
of the district’s priorities: Safety and security needs.

Last summer, at the request of many parents, BH-BL installed
new electronic locks and a security card entry system at
entrances to all five schools to better control access into the
buildings during class hours. Secure main vestibules were also
constructed at three of the school buildings last summer. This
renovations referendum includes the construction of secure
vestibules at the remaining two schools.

“We take the safety and security of our students, staff and
buildings very seriously,” said Abdoo. “That is why it’s
important for us to complete our safety and security initiatives
through this referendum by replacing our temporary security
measures at Stevens and the middle school, and establishing
secure vestibules at the main entrance of each of our schools.”

Phase I planning and projects

When planning the schedule for each construction phase of the
2013 referendum, it was necessary for district officials to
account for the State Education Department’s review process and
approval time frame. Currently, projects requiring only
architectural approval (masonry work, turf field, paving, etc.)
have a shorter turnaround time compared to projects requiring
engineering and electrical approval (STEAM addition, classroom
upgrades and other renovations, etc.).

With that in mind, the district has attempted to schedule
projects for Phase 1 that required the least review time in
order to maximize the opportunity to begin construction during
the summer of 2014.

Phase I includes projects that will begin in June 2014 and
are anticipated to be complete in early fall. It also includes
projects that will begin in early fall and have an anticipated
completion date in early winter 2014.

“The next few years are going to be very exciting as the work
in our renovations referendum progresses,” says Superintendent
Patrick McGrath. “Yet, while this is happening, it’s of primary
importance that we work around our students and staff, and that
academic instruction is not interrupted.”

To minimize disruptions to the learning process, the projects
that are slated to begin in early fall 2014 will be worked on
after school and during the evening. Additionally, there could
be some temporary changes to the traffic flow and main entrances
at O’Rourke Middle School and Stevens Elementary School during
those time frames. More information will be available once work
gets underway and temporary plans are put in place.

Here is a list of projects included in Phase I:

Safety & Security needs:

Reconstruct and repave the traffic circle and
parking area at O’Rourke Middle School. This
project includes reconstructing the traffic lanes to clearly
define the student drop-off/pick-up and thru-traffic lanes
to allow for a smoother, safer flow of traffic during peak
drop-off and pick-up times. The entire lot will also be
repaved, a defined handicap-accessible drop-off area will be
constructed, and raised pedestrian walkways will be added to
the traffic lanes to allow for safer lane crossing. Also,
the parking lot will be reoriented to allow for additional
parking spaces. Vehicles will park facing east-west as
opposed to the current north-south configuration. (Timeline:
June 2014 to early fall 2014.)

Replace door lock sets at BH-BL High School.
For safety and security purposes, a standardized
locking system on all interior doors at the high school will
be installed. Additionally, some of the oldest doors will be
replaced. (Timeline: Early fall 2014.)

Reconstruct the main entrances at Stevens
Elementary and O’Rourke Middle School. This
includes the construction of a security vestibule at the
middle school. At Stevens, the main
office area will be reconstructed to create a more secure
visitor entrance. (Timeline: Early fall to early winter
2014.)

Construct a separate parent drop-off area at
Stevens. For some time now, the driveway loop at
Stevens, which is used simultaneously by school buses and
faculty and parent vehicles, has caused traffic congestion,
delays and undesirable student drop-off and pick-up
conditions. To alleviate this issue, a separate student
drop-off/pick-up loop and short-term parking area will be
constructed where the existing blacktop playground area is
located. (The blacktop playground area will be moved further
back on the property.) A paved walkway leading from the new
drop-off/pick-up area to the school’s sidewalk will also be
added. (Timeline: Early fall to early winter 2014.)

Critical Infrastructure and Energy Conservation
needs:

Construct a storage building at the high school
and raze the original Stevens garage. At the edge
of the high school property line, a storage building will be
erected and used to store athletic and maintenance equipment
previously housed in the old garage structure at Stevens and
at the Hostetter Leadership Building (which will eventually
be closed and offices moved to the high school). The
original deteriorated Stevens garage will be razed to make
room for additional parking spaces.

Replace floor tiles at the middle school.
This includes the removal of floor tiles containing
asbestos in some of the middle school classrooms and
replacing them will new, asbestos-free tiles.

Reconstruct the pool masonry. The
cracked and eroded masonry in the high school pool area will
be repaired.

Athletic and Physical Education needs:

Construct a new synthetic track and
multi-purpose turf field, improve lighting. The
existing high school track will be replaced with a new
8-lane track and 26-foot sand pit. The current grass
football field will be replaced with a wider, multi-purpose
artificial turf field. The new field will accommodate
soccer, lacrosse, field hockey and football teams, and will
also be used during physical education classes. (Timeline:
Late summer to early fall.)

More referendum information

The entire renovations referendum is expected to be complete
by the fall of 2018. For more information and to view a
comprehensive list of the 33 projects included in the
Renovations Referendum, please use the links in the navigation
box on the top right of this page.

We will continue to keep you informed of the progress of the
project and share photos on our website and
Facebook page. We also encourage you to sign up for our
School News Notifier
(SNN) system to receive construction information and updates via
email. (Select the District News category when signing up.)